Genetic counselors have advanced degrees and training that make them specially equipped to work with anyone with questions about family history, personal medical history, or DNA testing in general.

Many “reunions” between biological relatives that have taken place after a DNA test discovery have led to disappointment on one, many, or all sides. Contact is refused. Contact goes great and then one party begins ghosting the other. Communications end, on a sour note or unexpectedly. Why is this?

Every family is different. DNA discoveries change who we know and how we related and with whom we spend our time talking and being together. What happens when two people who conceived a child as teens reconnect later in life and decide to marry?

Online courses are a great way to learn about topics you want to understand better at a pace that fits your life. You might have all the books you need, but a structured lesson plan that can go with you wherever you are is sometimes better than a full bookshelf.

Fellow genetic counselor Deepti Babu and I discussed what to do if you unwrap a gift and discover it's a DNA test.

Therese reached out to share her story about discovering she had a different biological father than she was told, and in her story is both struggle and growth.

Some parents have decided it’s time to share with their child news about the child’s parentage.

Imagine sitting in a restaurant waiting for your dinner date to arrive and finding out from your iPhone that half of your family is not what you expected. Then heading to the bathroom to call Ancestry and ask, "Could this be wrong?"

I received an email from someone whose cousins got married. They had questions about this.

"Genealogical bewilderment" and "identity disruption" are two terms to understand if you're an NPE or are connected to one in your circle of friends and family.

Laura’s story gives us insight into the impact that a sudden discovery of an adult biological child has on a marriage.

The most common FIRST question I am asked as a genetic counselor and DNA coach working with those in NPE situations. That first question is most commonly, “Could the DNA test be wrong?”

The first book of its genre to cover the pressing topic of DNA tests and the end of family secrets, Copeland’s The Lost Family provides an overview of the current DNA test landscape and a short history of how it came to be this way.

You donated sperm, eggs, or embryos in the past and have begun to hear the news stories that home DNA tests have done away with the promise of anonymity you were once guaranteed. Here are a few tips for you that I’ve compiled, after working with families and individuals involved in surprise discoveries from DNA testing.

I've gotten some questions about how to approach an unexpected DNA match and try to open up the lines for communication. I've posted some draft language here for you to get a sense of what I've written or advised other people to write in the past.

Janna shares her experience and how she has coped with the decision made decades ago by her teenage mother after a high school party and an unplanned pregnancy.

The shock of an unexpected DNA family member can cause people to react in different ways.

The purpose of this quick guide is to answer the single most common question I hear from people who have recently received a DNA test result that does not match expectations.

I’m adopted and know the identities of my birth mother and father, but the biological siblings on my paternal side don’t know about me yet. My children are encouraging me to reach out. What should I do?

Should I help someone who wants to search for her egg donor? Is it any different from a search for a biological parent in an adoption search?